mean
英英释义:to have a particular result or involve something
例句:The pouring rain means the football match will be canceled.
2. 体会这个词 (进阶篇)
“mean”作动词除了“意思是”外,还常用来表示“意味着”“产生......的结果”。想表达“A 事件意味着/导致某种情况”时,就可以想到使用 mean,这也是外刊中常见的用法。这个意思看似简单,但很多英语学习者可能并没有掌握。我们来通过几个例句掌握这个用法。
许多“月光族”一拿到工资就会用来还信用卡、交房租、去超市买食物。对于特别拮据的家庭来说,他们必须在把钱花在吃还是住上做出艰难的选择。我们可以用英文表达为:
A meager salary means that the family has to choose between paying rent and buying groceries.
再看一个句子:
The pouring rain means that the football match will be canceled.
从以上例句可以看出,mean 后面常接从句。它也可以直接接名词短语或者动名词。比如:
A promotion doesn't necessarily mean a pay raise. (mean 后直接接名词)
His new job at a consulting firm will mean traveling all over the country.(mean 后接动名词,注意这种用法出现频率较低)
需要注意的是,“mean”作“意味着”“产生...的结果”时没有进行时。也就是说,不会说“something is meaning...”,只会说“something means that/doing something...”。
最新一期《经济学人》中多次出现了“mean”的这种用法。一篇写石油公司 ExxonMobil(埃克森美孚)的文章中有这么一句:
He argues that his firm’s unusually high level of integration of its various businesses and technology means it can produce more efficiently than its peers.
还有一篇文章写的是优衣库在亚洲市场的策略,其中有这么一句:
But the rest of Asia may be harder to crack. For one thing, a warm climate in several countries means that UNIQLO cannot rely on its cold-weather products as a main driver of sales.
不难看出,“mean”可以帮作者打开思路,把一个问题讨论、分析彻底,也可以让读者感觉到作者的耐心和同理心。学会就找机会用起来吧!
3. 从认识到会用(作业)
1)翻译下面的句子:
经济非常不景气,这意味着大量公司不得不采取裁员。
The boom economy means that many companies will lay off workers.
(参考翻译:The troubled economy means that many companies will resort to layoffs.)
2.High house price means many can't afford the mortgage.
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